wonder how fast a 180 could do it
Probably not much quicker than a
HST▸ in a 2+5 configuration. Where it would gain is in the low speed acceleration, but as it was a non-stop run that wouldn't really have been an issue and the mid to high acceleration profile of a 180 would have been very similar to the HST. On top of that, I'm sure at least one of the engines would have packed up en-route if it'd been a 180